


Richard Tozier takes a boat

by SpicyWolfsbane



Series: airplanes & ships [2]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Adult Stozier, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Richie is sad but so damn hopeful, he's a sad and pining clown, tattooed!Stanley, the losers travel together, this is a fix-it in some sense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 16:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyWolfsbane/pseuds/SpicyWolfsbane
Summary: As his lips curl into a smile, raising his beer can in a toast, all Richie can feel is the bitter flavor taking over his tongue and throat, tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. He can’t tear his gaze away from Bev’s reddening cheeks and the way her hand brushes her bump. Mike’s loud excited laugh hurt his ears, the soft motion of the boat along the waves make him dizzy. Richie clenches his fists, thinking about the vastness of the open sea - deep and so so dark - and how he has no place to run to... He bites the inside of his cheek, hating how familiar that numbing emptiness feels like. There’s no galactic monster lurking around him anymore, but ironically enough, he’s still floating.OrIt's been one year since Neibolt crumbled to pieces and Richie still can't find himself.





	Richard Tozier takes a boat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [im_too_young](https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_too_young/gifts).

> I don't really know how to write under Richie's perspective, but I like how this turned out to be.  
This fic is supposed to be a follow up to "Stanley Uris Takes a Flight" and it would make much more sense if you read that one first.  
Also, this is dedicated to a caring and special person whose support helped me through the process of posting the first one.  
And Happy Birthday to me, because why not?

Eddie was screaming so _mad _and Richie was having so much _fun_.

Placing his hands on his waist, he started to walk swaying his hips as if in a catwalk. 

“SON OF A_BITCH!_” he heard Eddie yelling from the yacht “C’MON, BEN, LEAVE THIS ASSHOLE BEHIND!”.

Beverly was standing next to Eddie, waving at Richie and mouthing something. Obviously he couldn’t hear it, as only Eddie had a vocal range loud enough to reach him as he walked in the marina to reach Ben’s ship.

Adjusting his new glasses and flipping an imaginary fringe just to piss off Eddie, Richie sighed, relieved. It has been so long since the last time he actually took real vacations. His routine was hectic and he was feeling drained for so long. 

In a matter of two days, it will be the one year anniversary since__ It__’s death. One whole _year_. 

During that time, the Losers only gathered themselves together - _all_ of them - three times. At the release of Bill’s new book in NYC four months after the battle under the pipes of Derry, for Mike’s 41st birthday six months ago, and at Beverly and Ben’s engagement party back in May, two months prior, as spring was in full display coloring Ben’s backyard with a beautiful assortment of flowers. Beverly had lilies on her bright red braid.

With summer on its early days, it was time for them to gather again, leaving their successful lives on stand by for six weeks in which they would travel together by the Florida coast for ten days on Ben’s yacht, then following to arrange a road trip to Colorado, with camping and insects to annoy Eddie, then heading West to Richie’s sunny California to get tanned and drunk by the beach. The decision to spend the following ten days cruising was a mutual agreement to please Mike, despite his mumblings of “you don’t really have to”. They had, actually. After all the things he had done for them by staying back in Derry, letting go of many of his dreams because of _duty_.__

Richie had never been in the sea for so long and his stomach wasn’t one of the strongest ones, but he was excited. It felt like being back to his childhood days, but with a huge boat and not a single interdimensional demonic clown around.

“Are you a fucking snail?!”, Eddie glared at him from the deck as he approached the huge white yacht “Hurry!”. 

“My poor Eds, I can already see the wrinkles on your face,” Richie teased, placing his feet carefully on the footbridge, holding the banisters and getting into the vessel “Remember this, you’re not a kid anymore, but a middle-aged undersized man”. 

“Keep the size jokes to your dick, you asshole,” Eddie grumbled, holding Richie in a half-hug “You got thinner since last time, stop neglecting your health, dumbass”.

“Got it, _mom_”.

As Eddie left him, Richie smiled at Beverly, hugging her shoulders and placing a kiss on her hair. Mike was right, her bump was definitely _different_, yet still not too noticeable. He couldn’t help but shiver, thinking about the fact that the weird coincidence that none of them had any children was about to be changed. Right after It’s _departure_.

“Ben brought some medicines just in case you feel a little dizzy and seasick”.

“The wrong ones,” Eddie interrupted her with a frown “Those are kids medicines, it won’t work on a grown ass man. But don’t worry Richie, I got some with me that will be of use if you need to”.

“Of course you have, you crackhead,” he teased, ignoring Eddie’s punch on his arm “Am I the last one?”.

“_Clearly_,” Richie turned just to be face to face with Stanley Uris “Not a big fan of alarms, I suppose”.

Richie grinned involuntary, to diffuse his uneasiness. There he was, Stanley Uris and his goddamn _tattooed skin_. He was dressing casually this time (it was summer and they were on a boat), with black flannel shorts, slippers and a flower-patterned red buttoned shirt with short sleeves that was so _not Stanley_. The two buttons right above his collar were open and Richie could see a bit of one of his tattoos. One of his __new__ tattoos since their meeting back in Derry one year ago. He handed him a glass and Richie frowned. 

“Looks like Bill wants to start the games soon…” Stan explained and _winked_. 

Richie took the glass, taking a sip, feeling the familiar taste of tequila. 

“I hope you have painkillers with you as well, Eds”.

“Who’s the old man now, uh?” Eddie teased, brows arched.

Stanley grinned and moved back to where Richie thought as being the cabin, hearing the distant vibration of Mike’s laugh. Beverly took his arm on hers and motioned him to a staircase on the floor a few steps ahead.

“Let me show your room, Rich”.

“Which won’t be my room as well”, Eddie pointed out, following them.

“What? Are we separated?”, he faked a heartbroken face “How could you, Beverly? Take me away from my spaghetti boy?”.

“You snore, dipshit. I have sensitive ears,” Eddie gestured “And as you arrived late, you lost the privilege to pick the straws”.

“Aren’t we too old to decide things like this?”.

“You’re going to lose if we decide to measure dicks anyways”.

“Your room is very comfortable, Rich,” Beverly intervened, with a smile “This boat only has three rooms, but they’re very comfy. You’ll share one with Mike and Stanley. Eddie is with Bill”.

“Bill is gonna get drunk, he’s gonna get total __wasted__ and I hope he puke on your bed,” he glared playfully at Ed “You’ll wake up covered in tequila and gastric juice”.

“Most likely for it to happen to Stan and Mike since you’re a pussy with alcohol”.

“How dare you, you _swine_?”.

“Should I drown you two right now or should I wait a couple more hours until we’re far away from the shore?” Bev glanced from Eddie to him, trying not to smile “In case of some puking, we have extra blankets and hammocks”.

“Sounds fair to me,” Richie shrugged, placing his backpack on an empty bed near the door. The room was quite big and cozy for an accommodation inside a boat. The light blue bed sheets seemed clean and fluffy and Richie could tell which one was Stanley’s bed by the way he arranged his things. The little shit brought a suitcase this time,__ fucking f_inally_. 

He followed Beverly and Eddie upstairs, taking a look at how blue the water was. It was a beautiful sunny day and he felt his back muscles relaxing after another sip of his tequila. 

Inside the tiny cabin, Bill was babbling some jokes, making Mike and Ben laugh hysterically. Stanley had an amused but controlled smile on his face, a beer bottle on his left hand, his soft dark blonde curls bouncing with the light breeze. 

“Rich!”, Ben beamed right after noticing his presence, hugging him tight, almost spilling Richie’s drink “Fucking finally, man, I was about to call the cops to look up for you. I thought some fans might have kidnapped you”.

“Please, he’s not __t_hat famous_,__” Eddie diminished Ben's statement with a hand gesture, rolling his eyes.

“Just for you to know, I do have_fans_, Eds, lots of them. Women that wait for me outside of the radio station asking me to sign their breasts,” he bragged, noticing Mike’s amused expression “And when I do they ran to a near tattoo shop to cover it with ink, so they can have me on them _forever_”.

“Oh, really?”, Stan smirked, “And how does that feels?”.

“Well, I don’t know,” Richie sneered “You’re the one looking like a walking comic book, not me”.

“Oh, have you seen it yet?”, Eddie poked his arm as Richie watched Stan rolling his eyes “He’s embodying the tattooed Jewish bad boy for real. He has two _new_ tattoos”.

“Leave it, Eddie”, Stan sighed, but he wasn’t exactly _that _annoyed, Richie could tell.

“Two?” Bill frowned “I’ve only seen one”.

“Show him, Stan”.

Stan sighed while looking at Eddie, handling his glass to Ben, lifting his right arm and uncovering his bicep, displaying a red and black small goldfinch and some really nice _muscles_. Mike whistled and Stan grimaced. 

“Enough. You act like prude people”.

“Oh, look _who’_s__ talking,” Eddie teased “Show the other one to Rich, he hasn’t seen it yet”.

Stan eyed Richie before turning on his back, and Richie took some time to realize where he was supposed to look. Glancing down Stan’s body (and trying not to notice the tight shorts), he saw the drawing of a tree with lots of branches and weird symbols on Stan’s_toned _left calf. 

“You just need to put a birds nest on it and it’s done. A Stanley Uris styled tattoo,” Eddie teased, earning a middle finger from Stan. Richie laughed, weakly.

“Five new tattoos in a single year, Stan,” Bill looked awestruck “You’re really into it, right?” Stan only smiled in return, shrugging “How’s Patty dealing with all of it?”.

Stan frowned, looking at his shoes, then exchanging a glance with Mike, who just nodded. When he looked back at Bill he just shrugged.

“We’re taking a break”.

“WHAT?” Richie nearly jumped as Bev all but screamed by his side “How so?”.

“People change, I guess,” Stan shrugged again, avoiding her gaze “It’s been a while now. Almost two months. It, uh, happened after your engagement”.

“Why were you keeping it a secret from us?”, Ben looked concerned, his eyes glancing at Bev with a frown. 

“I wasn’t,” Stan was quick to look right into Ben’s eyes “I swear. It’s just that, well, it would’ve made no sense to tell this to the two of you, since you’re just started to build a life together” he gestured towards Ben and Bev “I didn’t want to disturb you,” he pointed at Bill “since what happened to Audra. And you two” he finally looked at Richie and Eddie “aren’t exactly discreet people to hear about such a thing without making a fuss”.

“What the _fuck_, Stanley?,” Eddie glared at him “So, what, Mike knew about it all along while we were all clueless?”.

“Mike’s a good listener,” Stan rolled his, pinching the bridge of his nose “Besides, I’m trying to take it as normally as possible. People change, things end,” he took a sip from his beer “And I don’t hate her, I don’t. I wish I could’ve told you,” he eyed Bill “But at least I took what you said about your experience, and I don’t hate her. It’s a mutual thing”.

“Good. I still don’t hate Audra either”.

“Well, but I do hate that bitch,” Eddie sneered with a grimace. Bill and Stanley arched their eyebrows, stunned “Not Patty or Audra,” he was quick to explain, rolling his eyes “_Myra_”. 

Richie’s eyes went wide and he stared at Eddie, stunned.

“Wait, _what_?”

“Eddie,” Bill’s eyes were equally wide in surprise “are you…”.

“Single, ready to mingle, a__ f_ree man_,” he stated, looking resolute “It’s been two weeks since I can breathe again and I feel amazing”.

“How did that happen, Eds?”, Richie all but forgot about his tequila, utterly surprised, his eyes searching for Eddie's outrageous wedding ring, finding nothing, just a tan mark around his finger. 

“I stopped being a blind dickwad, took my things and left that hellhole,” he grimaced “Should’ve done it sooner, but better late than never”.

“Three marriages ending in a matter of a year,” Richie all but _whistled_, looking at Mike “We better stay firm in our resolutions.

“Nice thing to say when they’re_engaged_, you dick,” Eddie scowled him, pointing to Bev and Ben.

“Oh, but she’s _Bev_, she’s awesome,” Richie grinned “And Ben has been pining on her for so long to let it end now”.

Ben immediately blushed while all of them laughed hard, Beverly placing a tender kiss on his cheek. 

“So,” Mike snapped his fingers “Eddie is now ready to be the womanizer he was born to be,” he laughed at Eddie and Eddie grinned back, nodding “Stan is aiming at become a walking graffiti wall” Stan rolled his eyes “and we’re about to find ourselves in fancy suits in a couple of months to celebrate Beverly _Hanscom_,” he pointed the last name with a huge smile and Beverly smiled back, leaning on Ben “Looks like the losers are pretty busy”.

“C’mon, what about your news?”

“What do you mean by “my news”, Eds?”

“I kicked my wife. Bill and Stan did the same, but _gently_,” Eddie eyed them and Bill sighed “Ben is about to __get__ a wife, and Bev’s said wife. What about you?”.

“Well,” Richie scratched his nape “I’m marrying Mike”.

“Oh,_darling_,” Mike placed a hand on his heart, smiling.

“What, nothing? Thought famous people had interesting lives”.

“Well, my dear Eds,” Richie rested his palm on Eddie’s shoulder, trying to look serious “What can I tell you? I’m a homeboy”.

“Bullshit,” Eddie rolled his eyes, taking Richie’s hand away from him “You need a bit of booze and fun”.

“I’m surrounded with rebels,” he couldn’t help but point out to Stan and his _tattooed skin_ “What is this? A mid-life crisis?”.

“Beep beep, Richie”


End file.
